A thread for support to stop breastfeeding

[Hungrycaterpillarsmummy]

After a few horrible of nights of my almost 2.5yr old screaming for more milk even after he has fed I have decided I want to stop breastfeeding totally. We just need to stop and I know it's going to be horrible for a week or two but I need to stop.

Any words of advice?
I'm going cold turkey because he will be confused if I give him some sometimes and others not. It's bedtime that's going to be hell on earth tonight.

[Hungrycaterpillarsmummy]

Actual bed time wasn't toooo bad.
But he's woken now and he is MAD. He's so sad and I feel so guilty. :( my husband has taken him around the house for a walk to calm him down

[Bayleaftree63]

My DS BF until he was 2.5 years too. Not for nutrition but to fall asleep at night. I just kept saying “boobies are for babies, you’re a big boy now”. I just kept saying no when he wanted to feed, repeating the above sentence. I also kept suggesting a cuddle to maintain that closeness and let him drink warm (cow) milk from a sippy cup, whilst cuddling.

It only took a few nights in the end and after about 3 nights he didn’t even ask for the boob anymore, just accepted his new routine. I was so relieved!!!

[Hungrycaterpillarsmummy]

That's good! My son cried over 3 episodes that I know of but I didn't deal with it as any time I say no he screams and wants up with daddy. It's going to be a burden to daddy For the next wee while I guess. He took him I to the spare room after the first few wake ups and I actually got a good chunk of sleep!

[Hungrycaterpillarsmummy]

Just going to update this more as a diary entry for myself than anything and maybe someone will find this one day who would like to read it.

So this is night 3 of going cold turkey. It's working well and our little one has taken to it a lot better than both me and DH thought.
Ds is definitely giving me the cold shoulder, and I feel guilty, sad, relieved, positive and anxious about it all at the same time!
I was worried he wasn't drinking enough fluids to replace how much bed fed from me and sure enough he did strain to do a poo yesterday.
I have laid cups of milk, juice, water all around the house and keep reminding him to drink. Also giving ice poles abd fruit to Increase liquid intake.

Going to sleep at bedtime - my husband just takes him to bed instead of me and he sits on the bed and reads a tonne of books. First two nights he cried a bit (not necessarily for me/milk) more cause he didn't want to sleep until he ate a cracker 😂😂
Tonight, after drinking half a cup of cosy cows milk and then sooking on a water bottle for a long time, and after the books, dh closed his eyes and pretended to sleep. Ds was just singing away to himself laying in the crook of DH arm and eventually just nodded off. I was watching it on the monitor and omg he was soo cute! No tears at all and he hasn't woken up once yet. Usually he'd have woken at least once maybe twice by now for a milk feed.

I felt a little under the weather today and was thinking it could be the onset of mastitis but I've not felt any hard lumps in my breasts. I hand expressed a little volume of milk in the hopes of staving off a blockage. Just hope it works and hope my production slows down quickly. One thing I am really looking forward to it buying new, non breastfeeding bras!!

[Aquamarine1029]

You're doing brilliantly. This will all be forgotten, I promise you. When you're going through hell, keep going. You're nearly there.

[CelticPromise]

I haven't read properly but Emma Pickett on Instagram has great advice about weaning older toddlers and children.

[Blessedbethefruitz]

Following for progress. I need to wean soon ish. I have to work away for 5 nights in November and dd 2yo is obsessed still. Great eater, but truly obsessed.

[Hungrycaterpillarsmummy]

Well after I posted last night he woke up not long after. He woke quite a few times more last night than the previous 2 and normally he would be comforted by DH but one of the wakes he just cried and screamed and wouldn't let us cuddle him or even touch him. I felt awful. But it did only last 5 minutes until finally he asked to be picked up and so DH cuddled him back to sleep.
DH is doing so well. Tonight I put our eldest to bed and by the time he was asleep so was our youngest! I went in to get DH and DH had fallen asleep too :D
So fingers crossed tonight is a better night but on the whole I'd say it hasn't been nearly as bad as what I had envisioned!
@Blessedbethefruitz I think you just have to decide one day, that that is the day it stops and once you make the decision you really just have to stick to your guns. And if you have a partner that can take the load and do all the comfort etc that is what's really helped us do this.

So far I only hand expressed once and I've not had any hard lumps or blockages...yet!
It's weird because even just a month or two ago we had a night away and I felt flu-like symptoms and lumps etc within a day. This time my body seems to be adjusting better.
Little one didn't seem to hate me/ignore me too much today...I got a cuddle and a kiss and I made sure to do some nice one on one time with play-doh so be enjoyed that :)
I really hope last night was the worst of it.

[Hungrycaterpillarsmummy]

Not a good night. He woke so many times and was so upset. He was rifling around on DH chest for boobs :(

Just googled and read it can take a couple of weeks to a few months for them to forget about milk...omg

[Hungrycaterpillarsmummy]

He slept through the night last night. Woke once at 10pm but settled fast with DH and not a peep after that.
Tonight though he fell asleep in the car on the way home and she managed to transfer him to bed but he's just woken up and is inconsolable :(